In a recent study, researchers in Sweden surveyed more than 3,000 employed men.

They rated bosses on a competency scale. The lower the boss was rated, the higher the incidence of heart problems among the employees who were surveyed.

Hmm.

Researchers followed the test subjects for 10 years, so this wasn’t a simple snapshot. During that period, 74 of the men reported heart trouble. Among the problems: heart attacks and acute angina.

The results were published in the journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine.

Employees were asked to assess the leadership style of their bosses. They expressed opinions on questions like:

• “I have a clear picture of what my boss expects of me” and
• “I am praised by my boss if I have done something good.”

Does it get better the longer you’re on the job?

Don’t count on it. The longer an employee’s been there, the worse it is.

First, most people leave jobs because the don’t feel connected personally, to their bosses or to their workplace. With this in mind, few employees tell the truth as to why they’re leaving. They don’t want appear to be a misfit or a troublemaker. Besides, these staffers want to preserve future job references from the boss. That’s kind of tough if you tell the boss you’re leaving because you never fit in. Some supervisors are likely to take that personally. Not only that, it can land them square on the hot seat when their supervisors ask why the staffer’s leaving.

The solution? You need to create a game plan for helping to build those emotional bridges between employees and their workplace, their co-workers and even their supervisors. The best way to do this is to take the usual expressions of appreciation to the next level.

For example: Sure, employees appreciate a handwritten note complimenting them on a job well done. But next time, write a note or pick up a greeting card, write about what a difference the employee is making — and then pass it along to the employee’s spouse or significant other.

Next, you can plan a one-on-one lunch (or breakfast) with that employee. Put on your listening hat and ask what really matters to that staffer — and come up with a plan for recognizing that.

Finally, you can bring in the heavy artillery. Maybe your praise doesn’t carry the weight that it used to with that employee. Talk to the CFO or CEO about this employee, and ask the boss to make a personal call to compliment the staffer for a specific action or performance. It can be a phone call or a memo, but the best way to handle this is in a face-to-face meeting with the brass. 

If your efforts to retain the employee fail, encourage them to share the No. 1 reason they’re pulling out. That won’t be as intimidating as explaining their whole decision-making process.

It’s natural that people in the office tend to gravitate toward other like-minded souls. But when it comes to putting together effective teams, or making sure your office has a good mix of personalities and work styles, you want to be sure to mix it up when selecting new employees. Your office requires a degree of diversity if it’s going to function properly.  Hiring nothing but clones of the people who already work here isn’t going to move you closer to that goal.

One of the biggest sources of problems: Nepotism or employee referrals. It helps to know a little about someone before you even interview them. But chances are, a current employee referred that person because of similarities in personality and work style.

That doesn’t mean you should steer clear of referrals. They’re still a good source of recommendations. Instead of a referral because somebody’s “a good guy,” though, concentrate on the skills that job applicant brings to the table.

Sure, you want people who are going to get along and be solid contributors to your team. At the same time, though, you don’t want to create an office that looks and feels like the Stepford Wives!